Chapter 45: New Destiny
Seeing her pitiable state, I couldn’t bear to watch her like that, and I had to hug her. Even though she was covered in Lucien’s blood, I didn’t care; I only saw a frightened child, trembling with fear, begging for a little help. I embraced her with all my strength, wanting to cover her and fill her with my warmth and tenderness.
"No more, Jayde. You don’t have to suffer anymore. He’s dead, and you’re free. You’re safe now; it’s all over, and no one will ever hurt you again."
Hearing my words, Jayde clung to me, hugging me with all her might. Her body trembled with every sob, soaking my clothes with her tears as she buried her head in my chest. Jayde allowed her emotions to flow freely for the first time in a long while; she was washing away her pain and sorrow with her own tears. I held her tighter, letting her vent, feeling the weight of years of pain begin to release from her. Little by little, her sobs lessened until they became silent tremors.
When she had calmed down a bit, I gently pulled her away, holding her by the shoulders. "Jayde, now that you’re free, what are your plans? Is there anywhere you’d like to go?"
She looked at me, her eyes still red and swollen. "I thought... I thought I’d be your slave for life. Isn’t... isn’t that right?"
I shook my head. "No. That was a condition when we were enemies. Now I don’t consider you an enemy, so there’s no need for that."
Jayde’s face drastically changed to one of panic, and tears welled up again like a fountain. "A-are you abandoning me?! Please, don’t leave me, don’t abandon me...!! I’ll do anything, just don’t leave me alone...!"
Seeing her desperation, I understood I had made a mistake and now didn’t know how to comfort her. I could only hug her tighter. "Easy, no one’s abandoning you. I just want you to be free and happy, that’s why I asked if there’s anything you want to do or anywhere you want to go. I didn’t mean that you couldn’t come with me."
A spark of hope shone in her eyes. "I will follow you until my death," she declared with a firm voice.
I smiled slightly. "You can come with me, then. But your life is yours; you owe me nothing. Your life and your decisions, from now on, are only yours."